Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 109: Storm Approaching

Seeing the internationally recognized gesture of White Thunder and the obvious lip movements, Fujiwara’s face instantly turned purple, his veins bulging on his forehead as he clenched his fists tightly, his whole body trembling!
White Thunder ignored his meaningless anger, clapped his hands, sat down casually, and with the most gentlemanly smile, began discussing the origins and differences between green tea and oolong tea with Lan Yue.
He even took the opportunity to pull Lan Yue’s hand, using it as an excuse to say in a solemn tone, “Yueyue, let me hold your hand so he can see our affection. I want to drive that little Japanese guy crazy. Hehe, you don’t need to worship me anymore. Destroying Japan has always been my greatest desire as a passionate youth—it’s what I’m meant to do!”
Faced with White Thunder’s shameless yet highly inflammatory words, Lan Yue could only roll her eyes, allowing this passionate youth to hold her hand as she provocatively stared at the still-present Fujiwara…
However, due to the departure of those Japanese men, White Thunder’s provocations didn’t lead to further opportunities for him to exploit the situation. The two men who appeared to be Chinese sent those Japanese men away and then returned to the private room.
“You’re quite bold. From my intuition, those little Japanese guys are all trained! If a conflict really breaks out, will your verbal skills be enough?” Lan Yue said disdainfully.
“Damn it, this is Chinese territory—where do those little Japanese guys think they stand? Even if I can’t beat them, there are plenty of brave Chinese people!” White Thunder snapped angrily.
“These days, just being brave isn’t enough! Even my dad and his colleagues need to use strategy…” Lan Yue said.
Contrary to his usual playful demeanor, White Thunder looked at Lan Yue and said slowly, “You’re wrong. For things like this, bravery is what matters. Even if I’m unable to do something, no one can stop this spirit, this determination!”
Though White Thunder spoke boldly, he was actually a bit disappointed inside. He admitted that while bravery and determination were important, if he had even half of Chu Tianyu’s skills, the situation earlier wouldn’t have been just about spirit and determination—there would have been no need for words, just a fierce attack!
“Sigh, it all comes down to having strong fists. I need to find an opportunity to extort Chu Tianyu and make him teach me some quick skills so I won’t suffer like this again!” White Thunder decided secretly.
…
Inside the private room…

“Father, those Japanese are too arrogant! To make such rude demands—it’s simply outrageous!” The middle-aged man spoke first after they sat down.
The old man listened without moving, sipped his tea slowly, and said leisurely, “Zhou Kunwei, it’s not that I’m criticizing you, but your patience is far too poor—you need more training! Don’t be fooled by the fact that Yun City is so large, and though you’re over forty, you’re still not ready to take on the responsibilities of our Tianxing Group!”
The middle-aged man wanted to argue but ultimately didn’t muster the courage. Instead, he said, “Father, this plan is so large, involving those cultivators and several major overseas conglomerates. No matter how strong our Tianxing Group is, it’s like sailing in rough waves—one misstep could send us sinking and cost us everything!”
“What do you know? True value lies in seeking it in danger. To take Tianxing Group to the next level, we must do something bold—it’s impossible otherwise! Don’t worry. If we succeed, you’ll become the financial emperor of all of China. If we fail, I’ve left some money for you and Chongyun in Switzerland, enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your lives!” the old man said.
“And what about you, Father?” the middle-aged man asked.
The old man smiled self-mockingly. “If we fail, do I, Zhou Tianxing, still have the face to live in this world?”
“Father!!! Why go to such extremes?” Zhou Kunwei exclaimed anxiously.
“You don’t understand. In life, one should leave a mark. Although Tianxing Group hasn’t failed under my leadership, it hasn’t made any progress either. If we don’t seize this opportunity to turn things around, relying on you alone, it’s only a matter of time before we’re swallowed up by others. It’s better to take a chance now!” Zhou Tianxing said regretfully.
“But, Father, this is too risky. I’m just afraid…”
Zhou Tianxing’s expression hardened. “It’s just some martial artists and those foreigners, right? When it comes to balancing interests, which nation’s people can outwit us Chinese? Haven’t you seen that we always deal with them separately and keep a low profile? As for dividing the profits—hmm, it’s like five people dividing a cake. We just take the smallest share, then cooperate with the other four to get more from them. In total, it adds up to a lot! And on the surface, we seem to have the least, so any conflicts over interests can be resolved by those four taking the bigger share! If anyone benefits from it, that’s even better!”
“Genius! How come I can’t see Father’s perspective?” Zhou Kunwei said.

“Be smarter these days and handle all relationships properly!” Zhou Tianxing instructed.
“Yes, Father. By the way, Father, Chongyun said he was bullied at school. What do you think…”
Before his son could finish, Zhou Tianxing waved his hand helplessly and said, “You take care of it!” Once again, he felt a sense of powerlessness. At this moment, with his descendants being incompetent yet still worrying about such trivial matters, it was truly embarrassing to rely on them. The Zhou family had no one to carry on!
…
Early the next morning, Chu Tianyu skipped class again!
After practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard of Ouyang Ziyi’s villa, he pondered the events of the past few days, feeling a sense of impending trouble. Fortunately, it seemed that since he resolved the matter related to the soul in Shaolin, other troubles no longer targeted him!
His senior in Shaolin said everything was fine, except for the two brothers known as natural talents! This made Chu Tianyu realize deeply that strength, intelligence, and strategy were the real keys to solving problems.
If he hadn’t planned carefully last time, using those three days to contact the Xuanji Sect, preparing while investigating the source of the soul-related weapons, he wouldn’t have been able to exert such a strong deterrent effect later. If he had chosen to return directly to Shaolin and fight them one by one, forcing them into desperation and prompting them to seek revenge constantly, Shaolin probably wouldn’t be so peaceful now—unless he stayed in Shaolin forever!
His third master had said, “Making people fear you, making them feel invincible, is more effective than killing them!” It was truly true!
“Tianyu, what are you thinking about?” Ouyang Ziyi’s voice came from behind.
“I was wondering if I’ve become bad lately—either staying out all night or skipping class constantly. Sigh, I even planned to be named an outstanding student this semester…”
“Tch, my Young Master Chu, what you’re talking about seems like child’s play! Things like teasing Classmate Li in the car, or that famous actress Xue Feifei in Motuo…” Ouyang Ziyi scornfully exposed Chu Tianyu’s past misdeeds.
“Well, let’s get ready quickly and deal with the important matters. After all, Sister Xin is our elder, so it’s polite to go early, right?” Chu Tianyu blushed and changed the subject.
Ouyang Ziyi didn’t say anything else, just gave him a smile that said, “I know enough. I won’t hold it against you…”

Oulijia Bao Group’s branch in Beijing is located in an excellent spot, within the Third Ring Road, surrounded by numerous commercial areas. Since Ouyang Boshu gradually shifted the company’s strategic focus to Beijing, this so-called Beijing branch has completely replaced the role of the headquarters in Hong Kong.
“Miss Ouyang, hello. President Xin is currently in an interview and should be finishing soon. Please have a seat while I get two cups of coffee for you!” The secretary, seeing that it was Ouyang Ziyi who had come, promptly welcomed her warmly and led her and Chu Tianyu to a temporary waiting room outside the office.
“No coffee needed. Why is Sister Xin giving an interview so early in the morning?” Ouyang Ziyi asked curiously.
“Hehe, President Xin said that since Miss Ouyang was coming, she canceled all her morning appointments. Only the interview with CCTV couldn’t be rescheduled, so it was arranged in advance. We didn’t expect you to arrive early too. If it’s urgent, I’ll go in and inform her right away,” the secretary replied respectfully.
Chu Tianyu quickly waved his hand and said, “Hehe, no need. Go ahead with your work!” Then he stood up and began to examine the interior decoration.
“That eagle is real. Dad brought it back from Africa to raise. It has a proud spirit and refuses to eat anything. Even Dad admired its determination. After it died, he had it specially treated—air-dried and gilded—to restore its majestic appearance. He said that an eagle remains an eagle no matter where it goes; it won’t turn into a parrot. When an eagle loses its sky, its only choice is death, not to survive in any humble way! Before Sister Xin came to Beijing, she was given this eagle, which holds special significance…”
“Oh…”
After Chu Tianyu stopped her, the secretary had wanted to hear Ouyang Ziyi’s opinion, but Ouyang Ziyi didn’t even look at her. Instead, she followed the man and gently, attentively introduced him to everything. This was quite different from her usual respectful attitude toward Miss Ouyang.
There was no need to ask—only the power of love could bring about such a change. And that boy, who seemed decent but not particularly outstanding, must be her boyfriend!
With that thought, she gave Chu Tianyu another thorough glance before satisfying her curiosity and going over to make coffee.

“Hehe, President Xin, this interview was a huge success. I didn’t expect you to be so good on camera—it really saved us a lot of trouble. To be honest, even I was completely captivated while you were speaking just now!” A well-known TV host stepped forward while talking to Sister Xin.
“Sister Xin, we’re here!” Ouyang Ziyi greeted her without any hesitation.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I have guests arriving, so I can’t see you off. Secretary Chen will be in charge of everything at the filming site later. She’ll arrange a simple meal for everyone at noon—please don’t miss it!”
“Please, President Xin, you’re too kind. Go ahead with your work; there’s no need to bother with us…”
Ouyang Ziyi excitedly led Chu Tianyu over to Sister Xin. Before the interview team could leave, she chattered away, taking Sister Xin’s hand, while Chu Tianyu listened quietly with a smile on his face.
Suddenly, a very faint “Eh~” sound reached their ears. They turned toward the door but saw only the back of a girl wearing a khaki-colored journalist vest.
Chu Tianyu didn’t pay much attention, thinking it might have been an accidental sound or caused by something else. He never imagined that “Eh~” was actually emitted by that girl because she remembered him!
After Sister Xin entered her office, the interior decoration, just like her personality, was elegant and unique!
“This must be Chu Tianyu…” With this opening remark and Ouyang Ziyi’s additions, the conversation quickly turned into a harmonious and pleasant atmosphere.
After chatting about some casual matters, Sister Xin was also happy for Ouyang Ziyi—not for anything else, but because Chu Tianyu was indeed as she had expected: a truly shining pearl. The satisfaction of having the ability to recognize talent and making a successful “investment” was indescribable…
The conversation naturally shifted to the topic of some unusual developments in the business world recently.
“Well, what you two analyzed makes sense. But in my opinion, aside from those wealthy individuals or companies trying to cash out, even your uncle’s nationwide chain, ‘Blue Diamond Shop,’ is their target. Otherwise, they wouldn’t push such big targets at him!” After a pause, Sister Xin continued, “But eating just a little of these ‘delicacies’ is fine, but eating too much will make you tired. Spitting it out is one thing, but if you choke on too much, then it’s basically up to others to deal with it!”

“Sis Xin means that this hidden force, on one hand, suppresses those companies or wealthy individuals who fulfill their commitments through various means, while on the other hand, it targets your aunt’s ‘Blue Diamond Workshop’? It’s a case of killing both sides!”
“More or less. After talking to you on the phone yesterday, although it’s just a rough inference, I’ve already asked Bo Shu to inform your uncle!” said Sis Xin.
“Sis Xin, isn’t there any activity here?” Chu Tianyu interjected.
“I’ve sent people to investigate. I’ve been away recently and haven’t had time to deal with company matters yet. But before leaving, I assigned three administrative assistants who report all matters to me equally, big or small. It won’t be easy for anyone to cause trouble!”
“Hehe, Sis Xin is really amazing!” said Ouyang Ziyi.
“Sis Xin, let’s keep in touch if there’s any news. Judging from these clues, the ultimate goal of those hidden forces shouldn’t be underestimated—it could have far-reaching consequences!” Chu Tianyu said calmly.